Plans To Replace Ageing City Incinerator

20 February 2026
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Richard PriceWest Midlands


Plans to replace an ageing incinerator with a more effective one are due to be analyzed by city leaders.


A brand-new energy recovery plant, for Hanford, near Stoke City's Bet365 Stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, would power the equivalent of about 50,000 homes, the authority stated.


They added it could likewise produce a "significant" income which might be reinvested into local recycling and net absolutely no plans.


The contract for the present incinerator at Hanford ends in March 2030, when it will be 35 years old and at the end of its .


The task might likewise be a significant factor to the city's district heating network to supply public buildings with low-carbon heating and warm water, powered by geothermal energy, a representative said.


The city council's cabinet is being asked to begin a formal procurement process to find an organisation to partner with, who might invest, style, construct and run the new facility.


That process was expected to take 18 months, with the proposed center set up to be up and running in 2032.


Cabinet member Finlay Gordon-McCusker stated the present facility had actually burnt more than 4 million tonnes of rubbish because it opened in 1995, providing a "sustainable option" to landfill.


The council wanted to think about an "entrepreneurial" method to running the facility, he added.


Waste increase


This would include a more significant upfront investment than other alternatives, Gordon-McCusker said.


But it was anticipated that the authority would make a revenue from the scheme in the longer term, he declared, through the sale of electricity and heat in addition to costs credited other organisations utilizing the website for their waste.


The new site could manage about 230,000-290,000 tonnes of waste each year, which would be an increase of in between 10-38% of present levels.


A public consultation will run throughout March and April.